On One should have been huge – fun, value, homegrown bikes at great prices.
To be fair they must still be among the most popular bikes on the trails so they must be doing something right. Even down here in the stockbroker belt, it’d be unusual to go for a ride and not see at least a few steel on-ones.
The DeeDarr still looks like good value, it’s just a different price point to the old 456. The 456 may have been £100 (or more) cheaper at times, but the build quality is in a different league. The 456 had dropouts that looked like they came straight off a BSO, and the tubes flattened and welded to them. The Deedarr has cowled (and replaceable) dropouts, plate chainstay, braced seatube, etc. The question is, do any of those things matter, or would people still buy a 45650b/45629 even if it did have a plain gauge headtube and unfashionable axle choices.